Drilling and mineral extraction processes in various industries, including the mining and oil industries, often produce slurries of solids and liquids that must be separated from one another. Screening machines are used to separate such solids and liquids. For example, screen assemblies (such as shaker screen assemblies) may be used to separate drill cuttings from drilling fluid. A screening machine typically includes a screen bed, comprised of individual screen assemblies, over which a material (e.g. slurry or another solution) containing fluids and solids is passed, and which is then subjected to various separation forces including gravity and shaking.
However, as the combined weight of screen assemblies and the material loaded on a screening machine increases, the g-force provided by the screening machine to the material decreases in an apparently linear relationship. Furthermore, as the g-force at the center of the screen increases, the center of the screen may oscillate at a rate higher than the oscillation rate of the vibrating machine, which in turn may increase the rate of wear of the screen assembly. For example, such oscillations in the center of the screen assembly may cause a metal mesh of the screen to wear out at an increased rate. Therefore it is desirable to use lighter screen assemblies to reduce the direct loading of the screening machine and allow for a more optimized performance.
Conventional screen assemblies may be partially composed of plastic (such as polyurethane), but such conventional screen modules typically show little or no weight decrease over conventional metal screen modules. Such modules generally include metal tubing that is combined with plastic, in order to provide a structure with enough rigidity to overcome inertial issues when the screen module is subjected to frequency, amplitude, and mass forces present in a vibrating screening machine.
Current fabrication techniques may be labour intensive, and thus expensive. The welding of conventional screen frames may be inherently prone to quality issues such as warping of the frame itself. Furthermore, conventional screen assemblies (e.g. including welded frames) may not be easily recyclable or reusable.